The Seduction of the Mediterranean: Writing, Art and Homosexual Fantasy [Paperback]

Robert Aldrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0415093120 | ISBN-13: 978-0415093125 | Edition: 1

Through an explanation of forty figures in European culture, ^The Seduction of the Mediterranean argues that the Mediterranean, classical and contemporary, was the central theme in homoerotic writing and art from the 1750s to the 1950s. Episodes of exile, murder, drug-taking, wild homosexual orgies and court cases are woven into an original study of a significant theme in European culture. The myth of a homoerotic Mediterranean made a major contribution to general attitudes towards Antiquity, the Renaissance and modern Italy and Greece.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this original and well-researched study, Aldrich shows that a recurring motif in the literature and art of homosexuals from the 1750s to the 1950s was that of the Mediterranean, which was mythologized as a place where the homoerotic ideal of masculine beauty and virility could be fulfilled. The idea is exemplified in Thomas Mann's Death in Venice and in the works of over 40 writers examined here, from the German art historian Windelmann to Lord Byron and E. M. Forster, and many artists and photographers. During this period, many homosexual writers fled their Northern European homes to live in the Mediterranean, especially Italy, where the cultural climate was more hospitable. The fantasy lost its hold in the 1960s and 1970s with the emergence of the gay rights movement. Aldrich breaks new ground by revealing a unifying thread in homosexual culture long before the modern term subculture was invented.
- Bryan Aubrey, Fairfield, Ia.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

In this original and well-researched study, Aldrich shows that a recurring motif in the literature and art of homosexuals from the 1750s to the 1950s was that of the Mediterranean. . . . Aldrich breaks new ground by revealing a unifying thread in homosexual culture long before the moder term `subculture was invented.
–Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415093120
• ISBN-13: 978-0415093125
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,756,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars recommendable book, May 20, 2000

By 

SEBASTIANVS "libra64" (TOKYO Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seduction of the Mediterranean: Writing, Art and Homosexual Fantasy (Hardcover)

This is an interesting and readable book, but mainly concentrated in the yearning & admiration of Northern Europeans for Italia et Graecia. I was expected from the title a more comprehensive survey-book on the mediterranean male/male love relationships .

3.0 out of 5 stars WOULD LOVE TO READ THIS BUT, December 20, 2011

By 

DJ Wilbur (Manhasset, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seduction of the Mediterranean (Kindle Edition)

CRAZY PRICING ALL AROUND...BOTH THE KINDLE AND PHYSICAL COPIES ARE REALLY SKY HIGH IN COST.

and I didn't know Kindle "rented" books either...still, dont want to pay $10 to rent it...will check my library I guess.